KITCHEN CAPERS
In the interests of scrimping ( and making sure nothing lurks in the fridge , freezer or store cupboard for too long ) I like to have a good kitchen clear out every couple of months . It saves money , gives me the opportunity to clean without having to rearrange the entire kitchen and allows my inventive side to come to the fore . That despondent cry “ There ’ s nothing to eat !” just isn ’ t allowed in my house . There ’ s something ; it just takes a little time and imagination … with Gi l
An Indian Feast ; perfect for a Saturday night in
My Indian feast was made entirely from the store cupboard , plus a few everyday essential ingredients like potatoes , onions , eggs and butter . This is a vegetarian meal ; you could add prawns or chicken to the main curry dish for meat eaters , or remove the eggs and butter / ghee to make the meal suitable for vegans . Serves 4-6
· Potato and egg curry
· Sweet and sour lentil dhal
· Mushroom bhaji
· Almond pilau rice
· Fresh chapati
Potato and egg curry
This is perfect for using up bits and pieces from the fridge . I ’ ve made this curry with some left over new potatoes , some eggs and green beans but you could pretty much use anything you like . Aubergine , cauliflower and broad beans work brilliantly . It ’ ll work well with chicken or prawns if you prefer a meat based dish .
· New potatoes – approx . 500g
· 4 eggs
· 1 large onion finely chopped
· 1 tbsp olive oil and a knob of butter or ghee
· 2 cloves garlic crushed
· Thumb sized piece of ginger peeled and grated , or ½ tsp ground ginger
· 1tsp each of ground coriander , cumin and garam masala
· 1 tin coconut milk
· 400ml chicken or vegetable stock
· Vegetables – green beans , peas , broad beans , aubergine , cauliflower etc . cut into even sized pieces around 2cm
· Salt , pepper and if you have it , fresh coriander roughly chopped
1 . Cut the potatoes into chunks , parboil for 5 minutes if raw and roast in a little olive oil until golden . 2 . Boil the eggs for 7 minutes , run under cold water then drain , peel and cut into quarters . 3 . Cook the onion gently in a large lidded sauté pan with a drizzle of oil and a knob of butter until golden and soft . 4 . Add the spices , garlic and ginger to the onions and fry for a minute to form a paste . 5 . Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer gently for 20 minutes . 6 . Season to taste and add the fresh herbs .
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